Search age:

Search in:

Fighting it out won't save Murray: Joyce

Nick Perry

Opposition water spokesman Barnaby Joyce says his Senate colleagues are free to vote with their feet when the federal government puts its final plan for the Murray-Darling Basin before parliament next week.

The coalition on Wednesday supported a government bill in the upper house to allow adjustments to be made to the amount of water that can be sustainably taken from the basin.

The legislation had to pass the chamber if Environment Minister Tony Burke was to present a final basin plan to parliament for consideration by the end of the year.

Senator Joyce said just because the coalition backed the bill didn't mean it would support the final plan without seeing the details.

Advertisement

Some states may still want to play hardball on the plan but Senator Joyce said this bill was just a first step, not the end result.

Fighting all the way instead of working towards a solution would result in a "Pyrrhic victory" for basin communities, he said.

"To cry with someone is not to fix their problem," he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

"Empathy is wonderful but a solution is better."

He said the coalition hadn't been backed into a corner but were "very conscious" basin residents did not want the Australian Greens leading negotiations with Mr Burke.

"They were absolutely explicit that the coalition remain at the table," he said.

Under the bill, any adjustments to the sustainable diversion limits (SDLs) cannot be more than five per cent above or below the total amount, and must be put to parliament and the public.

Under amendments made in the lower house, the environment minister of the day has the final say on any adjustment levels, not the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

The coalition moved an amendment to ensure any SDL adjustments wouldn't cause social or economic problems for basin communities. It was defeated.

However, Senator Joyce said he "would hold the government to trust" on its promise to consider the livelihoods of towns in its future decisions on the Murray.

The Australian Greens and independent senator Nick Xenophon also moved amendments that were voted down.

The coalition could move a disallowance motion in either the lower or upper house if it doesn't agree with the final plan.

Senator Joyce said his colleagues would vote whichever way they thought would produce the best outcomes.